A Story about Reps, Rolling Pins, and Beauty in the Mundane

The Bakeshop OST

Good evening, friends and neighbors.​It’s been a while since I’ve made any kind of list- certainly for music.

Lately, however, music has been talking to me more and more. At the cafe, we tend to subsist on a Pandora or Rhapsody channel of 80’s alternative, punk, or glam rock- and the tone and vibe of the bakery seems to change to match. You really wouldn’t have thought that David Bowie could be background noise for shredding zucchini or weighing flour- but it does. Irish punk fits the bill too.

What? I get really intense about my zucchini shredding…

Beyond that, though, I have found that at different times and situations, I REALLY need to hear ONE particular song or another- to elicit an emotion, or give vent to my own. Rather than do a typical “Top 10 Baking Songs” list, then, I decided to do a list of ONLY #1’s- but in their specific scenarios. More like a soundtrack than a top ten- if someone was to make a movie about a day in a baker’s life.

So here we go-

The Bakeshop OST

1. Wagon Wheel- Old Crow Medicine Show

These first few are something of a multiple choice. This one is for when you wake up in morning, step out of the shower, and start planning the day into your mirror. You’ve got an idea for what needs to be done, and move through one routine with your body- shave, teeth, wash- while your brain goes through another, casually accepting the life you live.

2. “It’s My Job”- Jimmy Buffett

Some days, you’re just not feeling it. You wake up in the dark, you hate the thought of having to go to work, but you get up anyway because this is what you signed on for and wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s a resignation to fate, so much as a recognition that there is reason and worth to what you do.

3. “Even If It Breaks Your Heart”- Eli Young Band

These are the days you REALLY aren’t feeling it. You wake up, feel as though you didn’t sleep, hate everything, wonder WHY you signed on for this… and then you get up and do it anyway, out of a stubborn refusal to let it beat you, or grind you under.

4. “Blitzkrieg Bop”- The Ramones

However you woke up and got out of bed, you did it. You’ve had your breakfast and caffeine. You are dressed, cleaned, ready, and walking in to work. You’ve got your plan in your head, and it’s time to strap on you apron and kick it all off. Checking the supply situation, your production list (that’s going to double by the end of the day), and how everything up front came out. It’s time to kick some ass.

5. “Let It Rock”- Kevin Rudolf feat. Lil Wayne

You’re on top of your tasks, and feeling like a well-oiled machine. Small problems pop up, you handle them almost without thinking. You are in your element- this is where you were meant to be, and you are invincible, showing everyone why you’re the best at what you do.

6. Gregorian Chants

There are quiet moments. The moments when your wild, maddened crew slips into a deep silence- not somber, professional. Each person focused and dedicated to their task, to the pursuit of their craft. These are the moments when baking feels less like work, and more like ritual- you are a monk in a scriptorium, executing holy works with precision and diligence.

7. “Largo al factotum”- from The Barber of Seville

The quiet doesn’t last long though. This is a bakeshop- people ask you questions, push past you for supplies, yell out frustrations and demands across the kitchen. Things start to pick up. Your production list grows. It’s turning into mayhem, but even as you sweat, groan, and roll your eyes with every new task, you love it. This is the adrenaline rush- this is when you really feel alive, as you are pulled fifty directions at once.

8. “The Pretender”- Foo Fighters

Soon, though- it’s not fun anymore. The spiral starts, your mind races and teeth grind. You try to keep a handle on your tasks even as it seems like everything’s going sideways. The anger boils- you didn’t plan on things getting this weird. Stupid mistakes, tempers flare. Your crew is professional, yes- and they are passionate. That passion tends to be expressed through loud voices and language to make a sailor uncomfortable. Just gotta get things right and hold it all down….

9. “Closing Time”- Tom Waits

You made it. The day is done- you’ve got a few things to do before you can pack up. The rush is gone, and now is the slow stroll to the end. You tidy the kitchen up and clean down your station, making sure everything is squared away for the morning- when you’ll do it all over again. One more look around before switching off the lights. Maybe straight home, or maybe out for a drink…

10. “Heroes”- David Bowie

Yeah, why not? Meet some of the team for drinks at the pub. Harsh words from before are forgiven, and everyone’s laughing again. You made it through another day- what’s NOT to be thrilled about? Everyone knocks back beers and talks shop until you realize- crap, you’ve gotta get home. Shit got weird… but it was a good day.

That’s the Bakeshop OST- coming to an obscure corner of the internet near you!

Meet the BHB!

The BHB, a.k.a Matt Strenger, is a Jersey-born baker and writer living in Portland, Oregon. He bakes, exercises, runs, reads, and explores- then returns to his wife and cat in their hobbit hole up Mt. Tabor to write about all of it.